1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an ink supply control apparatus, an ink jet printer and a method of controlling an ink supply.
2. Related Art
JP-A-2005-271588 is disclosed a printer (for example, refer to Paragraphs 0023 and 0024, FIG. 1). An ink to be a liquid having a color corresponding to each nozzle is supplied through each tube from an ink cartridge provided on a frame to a recoding head provided on a lower surface of a carriage of the printer. Each ink flowing into the recording head is pressurized by a piezoelectric element which is not shown and is ejected as an ink droplet from the nozzle of the recording head.
In the case in which the ink is supplied from the ink cartridge provided separately from the carriage to the recording head through the tube as in the printer according to the JP-A-2005-271588, furthermore, it is necessary to provide an ink selector for switching an ink to be a supply source into an ink supply path from the ink cartridge to the recording head when the ink to be supplied to the recording head is switched from the other one.
By providing the ink selector on an ink cartridge separated from the carriage, it is possible to suppress an increase in a size and weight of the carriage. By suppressing the increase in the size and weight of the carriage, there are advantages that it is possible to apply other design assets for a driving system of the carriage and to lessen a design change around the carriage.
In the case in which the ink to be the supply source is thus switched on the ink cartridge, however, it is necessary to replace all of the inks in the tube from the ink selector provided on the ink cartridge to the recording head when changing over the ink. As a result, a large amount of inks are not utilized for printing but are wasted. In addition, it is necessary to take a long time for replacing the ink.
Therefore, it has been desired to provide the ink selector in the carriage while suppressing the increase in the size and weight of the carriage. Even if the size and weight of the ink selector itself is simply reduced, however, it is impossible to effectively suppress the increase in the size and weight of the carriage. In the case in which the ink selector is provided in the carriage, it is desired to provide, in the carriage, a member to be used together with the ink selector, for example, a detecting unit for detecting a control position of the ink selector and a driving motor for switching the control position of the ink selector.
In particular, the number of the detecting unit for detecting the control position of the ink selector is increased when the number of the control positions of the ink selector is increased. It a detecting unit based on a mechanical contact is provided every control position of the ink selector or an encoder for detecting a plurality of control positions of the ink selector is provided, it is hard to suppress the increase in the size and weight of the carriage.